


when the world stops turning

by Republic_of_idaho



Category: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, The death of the ghost squad with one survivor, ash is in love with a stranger, bent but not broken
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2020-10-28 23:55:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20787158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Republic_of_idaho/pseuds/Republic_of_idaho
Summary: With the fall of the santa blanca and el sueno's death, nomad returns home to a empty house and an emptier soul. When the attack on the university happened, what would the rainbow team do if a suicidal ghost got there before them and when to work on the white masks himself? Can a familiar face stop him from going nuclear and bring him back from the edge?





	1. the final showdown with el sueno

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys, this is republic's brother here, hes been out of town and he said i could post this until he gets back. he wont be back for a couple months and he wishes you all the best and hopes you will wait for his return.

The rain fell in torrents as me and the rest of my team rucked it through the dense jungle, not risking a vehicle being detected by the Santa Blanca forces. The rebels were now against us, after Pac katari tried to kidnap Karen and kill us. We blasted our way out of their compound, I took the time to drop Pac's two lieutenants as they tried to retreat and alert Pac. two 5.56 NATO rounds spiraling out of my m249 saw's eighteen inch barrel, drilling both in the chest. Karen bugged out to a new hideout with all her intelligence and called for extraction for the five of us. One way or another, tonight everything ends for better or worse, El sueno would be dead by tonight. Midas and Weaver were twenty meters to my left while Holt and I were side by side. As night fell we finally reached the monument built for the sick leader of the Santa Blanca himself. slipping through a gap in the defenses of the security patrols, the four of us infiltrated the nearly complete building. Before entering the building, we all placed C4 charges on all exterior support beams and silently took out the few sentries nearby. We finally reached the building only to be met with a sight that shocked all of us. Pac Katari stood side by side with El sueno, seemingly as friends and laughing as they spoke to one another. Midas quickly pulled out a drone and started recording the whole scene and broadcast it on the rebel frequency.

" I must thank you Pac Katari, for without you my empire would not be what it is today. As we speak we have forces moving on the last of your rebel strongholds and will wipe out the resistance. You made a very wise choice joining me, come let us celebrate your arrival with a drink."

I had heard enough to get my blood boiling as my m249 moved with a mind of its own, barrel drawing a line on Pac Katari's chest before compressing the trigger and holding it down for a few brief seconds. The heavy recoil thrusting into my shoulder kept me grounded as I started moving my line of lead after watching the former rebel leader's chest implode toward el sueno. For a big man he could move pretty damn quick, as he shoot behind a marble pillar and drew his pistol. Holt and I started quickly suppressing his position while Midas and weaver began to circle around to kill the smug bastard once and for all. I could hear all sorts of chatter on Santa Blanca's radio as reinforcements began to arrive, only to be engaged by rebels who wanted Katari's head. A cry of pain from beside me drew my attention back to the combat at hand, Holt took a round to the stomach and was slumped down next to his rifle. One hand keeping pressure on his possibly fatal wound and the other pulling a grenade. He threw the grenade towards the monuments doors as they opened with Santa Blanca troops trying to move in. The m67 frag grenade dropped most of them, while I put two rounds into the last standing man with my Beretta m9. As I moved to help him, a slight burning sensation went through my upper arm as a single AK round nicked me. Midas and Weaver finally put el sueno down as they ran over to their fallen team mate. I scrambled to put pressure on the wound as I radioed Bowman.

"Bowman I have an eagle down, I REPEAT AN EAGLE DOWN!!! I NEED MEDEVAC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! Bowman come in!! An eagle is down!!" I got nothing but static for a few seconds before the voice of the resident spook radioed me back.

"Nomad, get to the roof of that building, evac is in route, but you have to get that landing zone clear before the birds can land."

I didn't bother responding, I simply slung my saw on my back, as well as placing Holt's rifle there before pulling my wounded brother up and onto my shoulders. I made eye contact with Weaver and Midas and started quickly moving up the stairs to the roof. Midas and Weaver moving alongside me as they kept me covered, the roof of the monument was not an ideal battleground but the closest landing zone. As the stairs gave way to the roof, a grunt of pain escaped my lips as another AK round slammed into my chest. I thanked god that I had remembered to put my ballistic vest on this morning. Midas and Weaver held their ground as I moved further back on the roof before finally setting Holt down, he seemed to slip into unconsciousness, which I knew could be a very good or very bad thing. I set my saw on the mound of bricks in front of me and started spraying rounds toward the enemy. Both Midas and Weaver threw grenades down the stairs and continued firing as more enemies arrived on foot and in vehicles. No Helios yet, but they wouldn't be far away with this much action. Weaver ran out of ammo first, cursing as his m110 marksmen rifle clicked. Midas wasn't too far behind as his Mp7 clicked as well. they both drew their respective sidearms and fell back behind cover next to me. I handed Holt's rifle to Weaver and tossed my saw to Midas as I focused more on Holt's wound. After what seemed an eternity later, Bowman's voice brought relief to us all.

"Nomad, evac is thirty seconds out. QRF is escorting them, expect heavy cover fire. seals from team six are with them to get you out. Hang on Ghosts, the Calvary is coming."

The familiar beating sounds of Apache and Chinook choppers brought sighs of relief from the three conscious members of the ghost team. missiles were being slung left and right into the courtyard, keeping all factions head's down. I signaled the Chinook's door gunner to lower the ramp and picked up Holt once more. Midas and Weaver stood side by side covering one another as I loaded our brother onto our ride home and handed him off to the medics. Snagging a spare rifle from the medics, I rushed back out to help my brothers. we were heading home and as Midas fell back into the chopper, a stray round from a mac ten nailed him in the back. Midas flopped on the deck as more medics pulled him further in the chopper and then a single shot was heard over all the other gunfire, a deep big anti material rifle round slammed into Weaver.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

I scrambled to catch him as he fell, his breaths coming in fast and hard. He looked me in the eyes and with his final words he spoke.

"It has been an honor Major, get those boys home."

He just dropped, my mind in too much shock to really process what happened, my body seemed to move under its own agenda. I hauled Weaver's body onto my shoulders and hauled ass aboard the chopper, not really caring about anything as my mind was still stuck in that very moment of despair until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Mind not fully in the moment and spending the last nine months in the Bolivian jungle, I reacted and had a gun drawn and up to bear on the unknown person. My eyes gradually took in the seal uniforms of the two people next to me and I lowered my pistol.

The two seals were undaunted by the sudden move but the woman had sat back in a ready stance when I moved. The man in front of me spoke after fully checking to see if I was in the moment or still in my mind. He seemed satisfied with the look in my eyes as he introduced himself and his team mate.

"Nomad, name is Blackbeard. That is Valkyrie, we were sent by bowman to pull your asses out of the fire. Are you with us?"

Bowman sent us a QRF, I would be forever in her debt as without that extra firepower, we would have never made it back home.


	2. homecoming for one and a service for others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been six months since the team has been brought home, Weaver's funeral was held with a quiet ceremony, as he couldn't be honored the way he should have been, Midas has been let out of the hospital while Holt was still in a intensive care unit. Nomad has been trying to piece his life together, after he came home and was welcomed with divorce papers and a lawyer and not a wife and kid he became a mindless drone. what happens when a terrorist attack brings his attention to a new threat to the safety of not only the united states, but the world?

I was heading out of town when I heard chatter coming through police scanner on the dashboard, claiming a terrorist attack had just taken place at the Bartlett university. I slammed on my breaks and snatched the wheel in an aggressive U-turn having had just passed Bartlett university. I could be there and help before any swat or national guard units would arrive. Pushing my SUV to it's top speed, I reached the off ramp as police cruisers were starting to quarantine the sight and to await further back-up I slid my SUV to a stop in front of an older Police officer and quickly made my way up to him.

"Sir I am sorry but you have to turn back and wait behind the barriers. We don't know what these people want and they have already detonated a biochemical weapon on the lower floors of the university. We can't risk any other civilians right now."

The older sergeant seemed to think that I was a civilian, that was kinda cute. I stopped him again and handed him my military Id and started talking.

"Sergeant I know that it takes anywhere between fifteen and twenty minutes before any heavy hitters get here. Let me help you, there could still be hostages inside and this is exactly what I was trained for. Help me save the lives of whoever is left in the building and if no one is alive, I'll kill every single one of the bastards who thought they could get away with this on U.S soil."

The sergeant looked at me again, this time in a different light before asking an unexpected question.

"How long you been home son? The boys I know who come home from deployment almost always want to help with stuff like this. If you go in there and you die, is there anyone who is gonna miss you son?"

I sadly shook my head at the last part of the question, before answering the first part of the question.

"I've been home about six months now, and I want to help, I have my own gear and weapons, all I need is a radio to communicate with y'all on the outside."

The sergeant nodded his head and spoke into the radio with a clear voice, showing just how much experience he truly had on the force.

"All units, pull back behind the university walls, we are sending in a one man team, keep all chatter off this radio channel until this situation is resolved, we have no idea if there are any hostages or the number of enemies inside. I repeat keep all traffic off of this frequency, from here on out this is a secure line to inside the university and we can't allow that to be compromised."

The officers around us slowly pulled back to the walls as the sergeant took his radio and handed it to me. A simple nod and I quickly opened the back of my SUV and put my gear on. My plate carrier sat firmly on my chest and I strapped my pistol to my thigh and chambered a round. My ACR was still suppressed from the last time I went to the outdoor range on base and kept my holographic sight with 2x magnifier on it. slamming a fresh thirty round magazine into the reliable gun, I started to move toward the building, one man against a terrorist organization? I like these odds.

With the rainbow six team

Six called us into her office moments after we saw the attack on Bartlett university, saying she wanted us on site as soon as we could be. My name is Eliza Cohen, better known as Ash, and this will be my first time officially calling the shots in the field. I snagged Glaz, Blackbeard, Montaigne and Twitch, telling them to meet me on the helicopter pad and I would brief them in the air. Five minutes later, we were in the air and I gave the team the briefing. Our flight would take us a little longer then I hoped it would, hopefully the local police wouldn't attempt anything stupid.

"As some of you might have noticed on the news a little while ago, a terrorist attack took place at Bartlett University earlier today. The unknown organization has made no demands, but they do have two biochemical bombs in the school, so we need to defuse both and locate any surviving hostages and get them out of the building as fast as possible. when we hit the ground, we will link up with the local police and have them fill us in on what they know and we will go from there. everyone clear on what we are doing on this op?"

I listened as everyone sounded off and checked over my gear one last time before we were to land. As the chopper banked I noticed that the police had already pulled away from the building and were holding while about four older officers were standing behind a SUV surrounding a radioman. The pilots dropped us down on the other side of the street and we made our way to the four officers. I was just about to announce who we were and what we needed when the oldest man held up his hand and waved us over. The radio crackled and a voice that seemed to send chills down my spine spoke.

"Sergeant Gallagher, when you get a chance tell whoever was in that damn helio that they nearly fucked me over. I have located the bombs and three hostages. enemy force seems to be about twenty altogether and they are well trained and well armed. I am moving down to the basement to rescue the first hostage, have two officers at the southeast exit of the building in no less then five minutes. Once this gets loud, it's gonna stay that way until we finish this. Nomad out."

With that vague warning, the now named sergeant Gallagher dispatched two of his best men to the exit, and finally turned to us. He seemed unimpressed at the sight of us, except Blackbeard, his build and the distinctive seal insignia on his uniform cut a rather intimidating figure. The older man waved us away from the radio and waited for us to explain who we are and why we were here. I did just that, but he seemed almost disappointed in us, something Blackbeard called him out on.

"Sir why do you seem disappointed in us, we just got here sir?"

The officer sighed and looked at his watch before looking back at up at us. He looked each of us in the eyes and held them for a few seconds a piece before explaining.

"The man you just heard on the radio, his call-sign is Nomad, he got here minutes after the first attack. He asked me to let him go in while we waited on the heavy hitters, who i am assuming is you all. He said we both know that heavy hitters take about fifteen to twenty minutes to arrive on scene and get set up, we have been here for two hours waiting for you. Nomad has been in that building since he got here and he is out numbered and out gunned. So yes, you could say I'm a little disappointed with you all."


	3. the meeting of old friends and even older enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rainbow team is now aware that there is a man inside the university with actionable intel and the will to do what is necessary to save those hostages and defuse the bombs. Nomad has no idea what kind of idiot takes a helio to a hostage scene but he is ready to kill whoever they are, these idiots are now more alert and nervous, making his job now ten times harder. but what happens when these two friendly forces meet, will there be gunfire exchanged or will cooler head prevail in this chapter of when the world stops turning

I slowly and methodically moved down the stairs, ACR at the ready. The first hostage I needed to get out was the one in the basement, they were also the hardest to get to without being detected. The second hostage was on the first floor and the third was on the second floor. Both bombs were on the first floor, each with about five combatants around it, leaving a few with each hostage and one suicide bomber wandering the halls. The doorway hadn't been sealed, allowing traffic between the rooms. This gave me a slight advantage as I heard someone approach the doorway, I let my ACR drop and quietly pulled out my k-bar combat knife and hid in the shadows. A lone terrorist walked out the door, rifle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. he walked to the center of the room and slowly dragged on his smoke as I stalked up behind him. The man seemed to sense he was no longer alone as he tossed his smoke down and started to bring his rifle up to bear. He was just a second too slow as I covered his mouth and plunged my knife into his heart. I dragged the now dead terrorist back into the room he just came out of and silently set him onto the ground. Nineteen to go, I thought to myself as I returned the k-bar to it's sheath. My ears twitched when I heard a little whine of a electric motor become increasing louder and louder, trying to ignore what could only be described as a damn annoyance, I brought my ACR back to ready and moved further into the basement. I silently had to thank the idiot for taking a smoke break, for the sounds of footsteps coming back into a room wasn't something you would turn to check if you knew a team member was just outside with a smoke. Keeping my eyes open for any surprises, I finally had visual on the first hostage, a young woman in her early twenties bound to a chair with tape over her mouth.

Two men with AK's in the room, each moving back and forth with eyes peeled for any sense of danger.Unluckily for them, I knew just how to do this, years of training lead up to another hostage rescue in a different place. The principles however, absolutely never change. I drew a bead on the man closest to me and silently counted his stride, as he stopped to turn, I dropped him. Almost as soon as the first round struck him in the head, my aim had already switched to the second hostile and fired twice more, striking him in the chest with both rounds. Quickly moving to the hostage and cutting her free, I asked her quietly,

"Are you hurt? do you know who else is in the building?"

she shook her head at the first part and then answered the second almost at a whisper.

"My friend Jenny was taken by them and another one, this one a boy was taken with them."

I nodded and asked her to sit quietly for a moment and she went back watching me with tearful eyes. My attention was caught by a camera in the corner of the room and I quickly cursed and shot the camera before it could be used to locate me. I had two options, neither were ideal, specially with multiple hostages, but I had no other options. I could take her to an exit and hand her off to police, but I would have to backtrack the way I came and I was one man , now with a VIP. The other option was to hide her somewhere they wouldn't find her until the threat was eliminated. My mind Made up, I turned my radio back on and hailed the sergeant I had started this rescue operation with.

"Sergeant Gallagher, are those two officers in position?"

A long silence started to worry me as I motioned to the girl to stand up and lightly grabbed her wrist. I explained to her what was about to happen, hoping she would understand and follow directions without hesitation. Pistol in one hand and the VIP in the other, I hailed the sergeant once more while preparing for the worst.

**outside with rainbow**  
The officer, now known as sergeant Gallagher, was briefing us on the blueprints on the building when the radio that Nomad was using crackled to life.

"Sergeant Gallagher, are your officers still in position?"

The sergeant didn't respond immediately as he looked around the command tent, after a few seconds Nomad seemed to think that the sergeant was no longer there, as he hailed the sergeant one more time.

" I have one hostage free and now know the location of the others. Be advised, these boys are well armed and well trained, they know something is up and are getting hyper on my end, how copy?"

I glanced at the rest of my team as we took in what the unknown man just dropped on us.

"Sergeant Gallagher, do you copy? One secure, location of other two are now known, how copy? over."

The older sergeant responded this time as he started to run his gaze over the blueprints once more.

"I read you loud and clear Nomad, one hostage secure others located. What's your plan to exfil that VIP? over."

I listened as I tried to gauge how resourceful this operative was with limited information. I turned to twitch and asked her a seemingly innocent question.

"How long has your drone been following Nomad?"

Twitch nearly fell over in shock that she had been caught, she seemed surprised that I saw her place the drone down when we were going over the layout of the building.

She responded with a slight blush shining through her mask,

"About five minutes, he is a very capable operator and seems to know his way around his weapons and has a sense of awareness I have never seen in any warrior, rainbow operator or not. I recognize him from somewhere but I can't seem to place it. My gut tells me he is battle hardened in the worst way and seems to have a death wish to go against these white masks alone and no back up on site."

Just her description of the man had me shivering, a warrior who wishes to die, was a warrior with nothing to lose. Someone who would take any risk or any mission, no matter the odds against them. If this Nomad was anything like a friend I once had, then I prayed he survived this near suicide mission.


	4. Blackbeard? Nomad?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and her fellow operators finally enter the building. Nomad hears a conversation that drives him to the edge, will the rainbow team be able to stop him before he loses it?

I pushed up the stairs with pistol ready, mentally keeping a clock in the back of my mind. Reaching the two officers who were holding outside the same door I came in, I holstered the M9 and brought the ACR back up to ready.

"You boys get her to safety and then get your ass's back here as fast as possible, I'm gonna bring the rest of the hostages here. Time to save the day gentlemen."

The two officers nodded silently as they lead the first VIP to safety, my thoughts already shifting to the next hostage as I slid back into the building. Two bombs and two hostages, what could be better?

Voices drifted down the hall as I leaned against the wall closest to what should be a office. The voices stopped as I shifted to the other side of the doorway when I heard Russian being spoken,

"Walker, we have three hostages and two bio bombs ready to be used. What are your orders?"

There seemed to be a voice on a earpiece, so I didn't hear the response. A sickening crunch was heard as one of the terrorists smashed his rifle stock into the skull of the second hostage, knocking them out cold.

"Walker says kill the hostages and detonate the bio bombs after we suit up. Get ready to get your hands dirty boys."

I had heard enough, I bolted around the corner, gun up and finger on the trigger. My sudden movement seemed to freeze the hostiles as I fired six rounds, two in each target, dropping the three men inside the room. Hoping that the order was only relayed only to the few I just dropped and no one else. I know had a new problem, in the form of an unconscious hostage and a unknown amount of enemy foot traffic between the exit and my current location. I hauled the hostage up onto my shoulders and pulled my pistol, I moved back through the door way and quietly moved back to the southeast exit where I handed the knocked out hostage to the two officers.

**With team rainbow**

I watched as two officers brought one more hostage out of the building, I made my decision. I am not waiting anymore for something to go wrong for Nomad with no back-up.

"Blackbeard, Glaz, get up on that rooftop and get in that damn building. Twitch, your with me. We are going in through the southeast door and gonna rally up with Nomad and sweep and clear."


	5. the first meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first engagement is over, now what does team rainbow do?

The door to the southeast entrance was pushed slightly open as Twitch and I slowly crouch walked into the target building. My carbine covering the left and up the stairs while twitch swept right and the closest room, we quickly and quietly moved through the building. A suppressed shot from above us pushed us up the stairs and into the firefight that was about to erupt.

Nomad stood to the right of a sealed doorway, rifle in hand as he tossed a flashbang under the door and followed it up with a swift breach. I sprinted toward him as he entered the room with anger on his face and finger on the trigger. The unknown operator fired twelve shots before I even reached the door. bringing my rifle up to bear, I entered the room with twitch covering the doorway. Nomad had one of the terrorists pinned to a chair with a blade to his neck asking him questions that didn't make any sense.

"Where is Walker? Where is your base of operations? Spill or I will gut you right here and right now."

Glaz and Blackbeard radioed that they were sweeping the lower floors and that it was all clear, they were heading up to us now. The terrorist seemed to be shitting himself as he answered the questions Nomad spit out at him.

"Walker is at our base in Brazil, you should know that. He took control after you killed El Sueno."

Nomad seemed to hesitate before swiftly thrusting the knife into the trembling man's neck. I watched as he wiped his blade clean before turning to us. He looked at both of us with calculating gazes as he moved to the door. 

"You two come with me, and tell the two others above us to be ready on the bomb they are closest to, we are going loud."


	6. defusing the ghost way

Nomad Pov

After ordering the two other operators to follow me, I swept the stairs closest to me as I began to move down to the first floor. One bomb was in what could be a professor's office and the other seemed like was in a small student library. The operator who wore a ski mask I had finally recognized, it was Twitch. The operator who came down to the cartel infested countryside looking for one of her own agents. It seemed that the one with the hat was FBI and just might be another one of team Rainbow.

"Glaz says he and Blackbeard are in position on the second bomb, they are awaiting our go ahead." Twitch whispered as we stacked up on the only non-barricaded door. I nodded as I tossed a flashbang under the door and kicked it in after hearing it go off. The bomb sat in the right corner of the room with three terrorists between me and it. I snapped two rounds at the closest one while dropping behind a cabinet. Twitch and her FBI friend following me lit the other two hostiles up, killing one and wounding the other.Twitch ran over to the bomb and placed what looked like a small briefcase on the ground, but I knew it was a defuser, while the FBI agent put one more round through the wounded terrorists head. I radioed to the sergeant outside to tell him that everything was all clear and was leaving when a hand on my shoulder caused me to react. I gripped the hand and pulled forward while twisting my hips, throwing the person over my shoulder and onto the ground. Ignoring her stunned face, I walked out of the building without saying another word. I nodded to the officers coming in the building and jumped into my truck before speeding away back towards home, not knowing I was about to get some unwanted attention.

Ash pov

I lay on the ground winded from the unexpected meeting with the floor while Nomad walked off, anger in his stride. Twitch helped me up before asking,

"what's the plan Boss, we can't just let him walk away from this. He obviously knows something about who these people are and who they work for so what are your orders?"


	7. returning home, making new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nomad arrives at his home only to be visited by some unwanted attention, Twitch hasn't seemed to place the operator completely and Ash wants to know more. Blackbeard and Valkyrie warn the others on just who they are dealing with

Ash Pov  
back at Rainbow HQ

I slammed my hands down upon the debriefing table in frustration, the cops knew the name of Nomad but would not tell us, citing he was a hero, not someone to annoy and question. As my frustration started to web away, I noticed how Blackbeard and Valkyrie were seemingly talking without talking so I called the two out.

" Jenson and Castellano do you two know this Nomad?"

The two seals shared a look before nodding and replying in sync

" Yes We know him."

silence filled the room as the rest of Rainbow slowly gathered round to hear the story of the unknown Nomad, and just who he was.

Blackbeard sighed before he stood an moved to the front of the room, addressing everyone as I sat in an unoccupied seat, wanting to know more of this man.

" His name is Lieutenant colonel Anthony Perryman, former ghost team leader and support gunner for his squad. Me and Valkyrie both knew him before joining Rainbow and two of our own have also had run ins with his team." with this statement he glanced at Twitch and Caveria, both of which had deep frowns on their faces as they thought about the last time they had run into the ghost commando.

"Three years ago, when Rainbow had just become a reality and six was fast and loose with the rules, Twitch went after Cav after she went on a hunt for her brother and they stumbled upon Nomad's team, in turn helping each other as needed before being pulled out. What y'all don't know is that we were the ones who pulled them from Bolivia after that tour of duty for them was over and it was not a pretty sight. Nomad and his team had just blasted their way out of a rebel ambush, the rebels betraying the men who helped them take down the oppressive regime of Santa Blanca, and had discovered that Pac katari was now working for El Sueno, the four man team killed both of them but not before Holt took a round to the stomach, almost spilling his intestines out on the floor of a mausoleum built for El Sueno and Nomad called for an evac,their CIA handler scrambled us, a few Apaches and a Chinook to bring those boys home, we were almost too late. Holt was unconscious, both Weaver and Midas were out of ammo and Nomad had taken a few rounds as well. Ignoring his own wounds, Nomad hauled Holt on board of the Chinook and grabbed a spare rifle and jumped right back into the fight. It got worse from there, Midas took a round in the back, and Weaver took a sniper round to the chest. Weaver died in Nomad's arms right there on the roof of that building. Holt was medically discharged and Midas is paralyzed from the waist down, Nomad is the only member of his Ghost team still in fighting Condition as both Holt and Midas are in assisted living housing on base stationed in Texas. The reason we know Nomad, is because we were there with him when our brothers were gunned down, and I know it changed him. When Nomad returned home, he found an empty house and divorce papers waiting on him. No one knows where he lives now except one person and she don't talk easily Ash, just so you know that."

Blackbeard's retelling of that night in the Bolivian jungle was so vivid, I could picture everything in my head, the rain on my face, the weight of the gear and the mud beneath my boots as I now realized just what happened to the commando that had literally served us earlier today. The silence hung in the air as no one wanted to speak as the weight of fallen brothers sunk in. No matter where you came from in Rainbow, you knew the feeling of fallen brothers, some more then others, but the feeling was there all the same.

A moment of tense silence passed, before I spoke once more directly to the two seals on our team.

"Who knows where he lives? I want to talk to the Lieutenant Colonel."

Nomad's home, 2:00 am the next day

I slowly pulled the SUV into the long driveway of the unknown Operative who saved our asses, the mysterious Nomad lived out in the backwoods almost as far away from his command post as possible. I scanned the entrance as We rolled to a stop. It took some serious wrangling to get the name of who knew where Nomad lived but finally Blackbeard and Valkyrie caved and told me that CIA field agent Karen Bowman knew where he was and it took even longer to get the address. I even called in my favors with several big wigs in the pentagon to get what I wanted and now I get to meet this mythical operator the seals spoke so highly of. 


	8. rude awakening

**Nomad Pov**

I had arrived home late last night and sacked out hard, but not before securing my weapons and gear. My ACR went back in the safe and my plate carrier went on the stand next to my bed, while my pistol took its normal place on my nightstand. I knew I would have to answer for the stunt I just pulled but I haven't felt that alive in almost three years, the last time I felt like I had done some good in the world was the night I lost my confidence in my ability to keep my team safe. Ghost command doesn't know what to do with me, I will not lead another team, I cannot let something like that happen again. After coming home and finding no wife and no kid, I fell into a deep hole I almost didn't come out off alive. I the cold steel pressed against my head served as a reminder that I wasn't as good as I thought. The faces of Weaver, Holt and Midas floated in and out of my vision for months. One day after a particular dark night before I got a call.

_three months _ _prior_

_The sharp ring of the phone beside my head jolted me upright, before instantly grabbing my head as the hangover slammed full force into the forefront of my mind. The second ring made me snatch it up without looking at the caller Id and answering gruffly. _

_"Hello?"_

_"Been along three months Tony."_

_Bowman, I hadn't heard from her since Bolivia. What could she possibly want from me now?_

_"What do you want Bowman? I get the feeling you did not just call to chat."_

_Bowman laughed slightly and responded with a hint of a smirk in her voice._

_"Well to put it simply to you **Nomad, **we want you to come and work for us in Massachusetts. We want to have you train our combat teams in urban and jungle warfare." _

present day

A sharp noise jolted me from my sleep, sending adrenaline shooting throughout my body. I rolled out of bed and swiftly grabbed my pistol before bolting through the small house and out the back door. I hopped the small wooden fence in my backyard and dropped down in a crouch after reaching a spot behind a fallen tree. A lone SUV sat in my driveway with four people exiting, all dressed in civilian clothes but each seemed to carry a pistol on the leg or hip. Mind jumping from conclusion to conclusion, I landed on what seemed to be the most plausible answer, that they were government agents coming to talk to me about the university attack. With that in mind I lowered my weapon and stepped out of the treeline and spoke,

"What can I help you agents with?"

All four agents spun around, weapons being drawn and pointed in my direction before the redhead who drove stepped forward and replied to my question with a low tone of voice.

"We need to talk with you Lieutenant colonel, you are a hard man to find."


	9. talking is sometimes dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what does RAINBOW want with a busted up ghost? Ash seems to think that is nothing they really need but Six says otherwise

Ash Pov

My team and I whirled around at the sound of a voice behind us, weapons drawn and pointing at the lone Ghost. 

"We need to talk with you Lieutenant Colonel, you are a hard man to find." I spoke with a low tone, not willing to brake the semi peaceful aura of the surrounding woods.

I then took a closer look at the operative and realized he wore boxers and a t-shirt, nothing else. obviously he wasn't bothered by it but I hoped to move this conversation inside.

Nomad's eyes glanced at Jenson and Castellano before replying with slight annoyance in his tone,

"Apparently not hard enough, Castellano, Jenson, seems you two don't hold up under pressure no more then anyone else. I assume you called in some big favors to find me and get in contact with bowman. You have five minutes."

With that, the ghost stalked past them and motioned for us to follow him inside. I followed directly behind him as my team sheepishly followed me.

Upon entering the small cabin, my eyes scanned the room for anything and everything. I mentally sighed as the habit of checking for traps caused me to ignore the others examining the room as well. Nomad disappeared into another room, one I assumed to be a bedroom and left me and my team alone for a few moments. Jenson and Castellano seemed slightly embarrassed that they were called out by the older operative but were silent as they gazed around the open living room. Jordan Trace, aka Thermite, had been silent so far, simply absorbing the information offered to him, eyes steadily scanning the room as well.

My eyes picked up small items that showed just who the occupant of this cabin really was. A revolver stashed under a set of papers on a coffee table, a shotgun leaned up against the wall next to the kitchen doorway and pictures placed on the mantle showed Nomad in dress uniform with three others. The same four men inside a chopper flying over a mountain range with small smiles upon their faces. The last picture that caught and held my attention was the very last one. It seemed to be a screenshot of a video, framed and mounted. The ghost team all had snarls on their faces as their weapons seemed to be in the midst of firing, brass floating by their faces as they seemed to be holding a position and were not going to move. It clicked in my mind on what this picture was, this was a photo of a units final stand. Shaking myself from my staring I relaxed as Jenson and Castellano stood beside me, looking at the picture in awe of what was possibly the most chilling photo of a special forces unit ever taken.

"This picture is what the special forces are all about, where did he find this?" Trace spoke in a slight whisper, almost as if the team stood at a memorial, in which they kinda were. Nomad was the only member of his squad who was still combat capable, this single picture struck each operative harder then any beating they had ever taken.

Nomad reappeared from his room a few moments later, wearing boots. jeans and a flannel. He seemed to realize that we were not leaving him alone anytime soon.

"Alright agent, you got your five minutes. Now what does operation Rainbow want with me?"

His tone set me on edge for some reason, like he knew where this conversation was going and didn't like it already. I took a slightly composing breath before handing him a file I had brought along with me and started talking.

"Six wants you to work with us as a consultant on a new operation, one where even with all of our agency assets we know little about. We need your help with Operation White Blade, a joint task force between all NATO countries and Russia. Approximately seven weeks ago a cluster of nuclear warheads were stolen from a storage facility in Seoul South Korea, where it has since then popped back up in Afghanistan five weeks ago, then again in Peru three weeks ago before being reported here in the United States last week. We believe that the way these warheads have been moved around is through the drug cartels of South America and the militia fighters in Afghanistan. What we don't know is how they were stolen and who stole them. I have been informed that you were part of the two teams that were in Russia when the coup went down a couple years ago and helped recover six warheads from the rebels, we need you to help us find out what we want to know before the people holding these nukes try to do something with them."


End file.
